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English drinking habits exposed

TONY EASTLEY: The English are well-known for enjoying a pint or two down the pub. Ask them how much they drink though and you're not necessarily going to get a straight answer.

A study by the University College, London has compared the amount of alcohol sold with the amount people say they drink and they've found a huge discrepancy.

Europe correspondent Barbara Miller with this report.

BARBARA MILLER: Most people don't like to admit that they eat or drink more than they should. And with alcohol there's always that confusing difference between a standard unit and a typical drink.

VOX POP 1: So really it's one night a week that we do go out normally and drink quite a lot. So we have maybe 10 units. But other than that, not so much.

VOX POP 2: Is that a lot?

VOX POP 1: No, that's nothing.

VOX POP 2: How much is… ?

VOX POP 1: Well, a shot - a pint is about two and a half units.

VOX POP 2: Is it, okay (laughs).

VOX POP 1: Yeah, 30 units, 30 units a week.

BARBARA MILLER: A team from University College London compared the amount of alcohol sold with the amount people said they typically drank. They found vast quantities were unaccounted for.

Researcher Sadie Boniface:

SADIE BONIFACE: We're saying that we don't know where about 40 per cent of the alcohol that's sold has actually gone. We don't know who's consumed it.

But what's more alarming as well is that it's likely that the burden of under-reporting if you like is actually concentrated in certain groups, so it's really important that we can identify which groups are.

BARBARA MILLER: Some drinkers have to be pushed to concede that they probably do drink a little more than they readily admit to.

(Question to pub patron) If you go to your doctor and your doctor says how many units of alcohol do you drink a day, do you give an honest answer?

VOX POP 3: Well, yes, yeah because I don't drink in the week. Perhaps the weekends and that's it.

BARBARA MILLER: This is the week and you're drinking.

VOX POP 3: Yeah, well, yes because we're out for the day.

BARBARA MILLER: Well, what about yourself. Do you think you might be guilty of under-reporting?

VOX POP 4: I probably would be as well, yes, recognising my own human frailties. So yeah, I'm probably guilty if that's the right word of it as well.

BARBARA MILLER: The two or three an evening might actually be three or four?

VOX POP 4: Might actually, might be three or four. Or it might be two or three but four, five evenings rather than just three. So it adds up.

BARBARA MILLER: If the study figures are correct around three-quarters of men and women could be drinking more than the recommended daily limit. Even the professionals can find talking about how much they drink difficult.

(Question to Sadie Boniface) And how much do you drink?

SADIE BONIFACE: How much do I drink? (laughs) Um, I don't want to answer that question. I don't think it's relevant. But I do drink alcohol, yeah, I will freely admit that.

BARBARA MILLER: Sadie Boniface says she'd recommend people keep a drinking diary for a while. She says when she did so, the results were illuminating.

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